April 26, 2014 @ 6:30 pm - 11:30 pm

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Every nine seconds of each school day, a young person drops out of high school in the U.S., and nearly one-third fail to graduate on time. For the past 25 years, Communities In Schools of Miami (CIS of Miami) has been a driving force in collaborating with Miami-Dade County Public Schools to improve educational outcomes by providing free programs and tools to keep students in class and on track toward graduation.

CIS of Miami’s largest fundraiser is their annual gala, and this year’s event slated for Saturday, April 26th will be a black-tie affair to remember, commemorating CIS of Miami’s silver anniversary and 25 years of service in Miami-Dade. The theme of the gala is “an evening among the stars”, which pays tribute to the CIS of Miami students (stars) who have successfully graduated high school since the organization’s inception.

The event takes place in a ballroom at the Epic Hotel overlooking downtown Miami’s skyline and Biscayne Bay. The evening starts with a sunset cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m. where guests can bid on luxury, silent auction items including all-inclusive vacation packages; bowling and lunch for 10 with Al Golden, University of Miami’s head football coach; jewelry; dinners; spa treatments and more. Guests will enjoy a three-course dinner followed by live music and entertainment by CIS of Miami “stars”.

Local CBS TV evening anchor and producer Cynthia Demos will preside as the master of ceremonies alongside a CIS of Miami junior MC. They will welcome CIS national founder, Bill Milliken, a recipient of the Visionary Ambassador’s Award from Usher’s “New Look Foundation” and the National Jefferson Award for Public Service, which is widely regarded as the Nobel Prize for outstanding community and public service.

Tickets for the annual philanthropic event are $200 each, and all proceeds directly benefit CIS of Miami. In 2013, CIS’ gala raised more than $100,000 to fund dropout prevention programs for local students including after school programs, tutoring, mentoring and other programs. Tickets can be purchased online at www.cismiami.org or by calling 305-252-5444.

About Communities in Schools of Miami
Communities in Schools of Miami surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school. Through a school-based coordinator, CIS connects students and their families to needed community resources, and provides comprehensive wrap-around services including mentoring, tutoring, life skills development, case management, counseling, job readiness and more. CIS of Miami serves more than 20,000 students each year and is an affiliate of the nation’s leading dropout prevention organization, whose model has been proven to both increase on-time graduation rates and reduce dropout rates. For more information visit www.cismiami.org.